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SINGAPORE – Mid-year school holidays will begin before May 5 to cover the entire circuit breaker extended through June 1, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said on April 21.
“By June 1, 2020, hopefully the situation will be much better, and we can expect a safe and orderly opening of schools,” he said in a Facebook post.
“This would mean that Term 3 will be very long. Therefore, we will take into account an additional week, mid-term break from July 20 to 26. Term 3 will comprise 7 weeks, a one-week break and then 6 weeks. . Most teachers will take advantage of the break to review or re-plan their lessons, “he added.
The additional one-week break will reduce the teaching time of the curriculum, he said. As it stands, the pace of learning at home tends to be slower than teaching in the classroom, he noted.
“Therefore, we will also make certain topics commonly taught by all schools at the end of the academic year not examinable. Some of these topics are pie charts and volume for PSLE Maths, organic chemistry, and vectors for O level Chemistry and Maths. respectively. “
This will reduce the burden on the curriculum and relieve pressure on teachers and students to catch up on the curriculum, Mr. Ong said.
“To be clear, as far as possible, these topics will continue to be taught. But they will not appear as questions on national exams,” he added.
The revised school period dates will be:
– May 5 to June 1: school holidays
– June 2: start of period 3
– July 20-26: mid-term rest
– September 6: end of period 3
The ministry had already implemented full home learning that started from April 8 and was to last until May 4, in support of the switch measures to close most workplaces.
Learning at home is a combination of online lessons and activities, as well as offline reading and homework.
Students who do not have support at home will continue to be supported by a small group of teachers in schools, and can use devices and Internet access in their schools.
In his fourth national speech on the Covid-19 situation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the circuit breaker will extend another month until June 1, to further slow the spread of the virus.
While noting that the circuit breaker measures have been working, he emphasized that Singapore cannot be accommodating. He said the number of unrelated cases has not decreased, suggesting a “hidden deposit” of cases in the community.
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